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Aleph1 Passes The Bugtraq Baton
Rogue_F writes: "The long running security mailing list
Bugtraq
is getting a new moderator. Elias Levy (the real name of the familiar Aleph1) has decided to move on to other things.
For nearly six years he has been moderating bugtraq with a high degree of success. No one doubts the usefulness of bugtraq, but many people probably dont appreciate what a 'clean' list it is. No spam, no flames, no relgious security wars, instead you get good wholesome security information.
Aleph1 details in this
message that he is moving on to other security projects and that David Ahmad is taking over moderation duties.
Bugtraq continues to churn out quality security information on a daily basis, and it looks like it will continue to do so for quite some time to come." List moderators and maintainers seem universally denied their due credit -- people like Zack Brown (of Kernel Traffic fame) end up getting noticed only when --infrequently -- they go on vacation.
Interview with Elias Levy (Alpeh1)
Bugtraq is probably the best security mailing list around. However while the quasi-founder (technically Aleph1 didn't start Bugtraq as I was surprised to find out) is quite prominent online I wasn't able to find any detailed information about him or Bugtraq (except for one old interview). So here for you to enjoy is an interview with Aleph1.
Kurt: Where does the name Aleph1 come from?
Elias: Its comes from transfinite mathematics. There exists many "infinite" numbers or sets. The first infinite number is small omega or alef null. It is also called countable infinity. Many infinite sets can be mapped one-to-one with each other. For example, the set of all natural numbers can be mapped one-to-one with the set of odd natural numbers. Yet one is a subset of the other. Both these sets are said to have a cardinality of alef null. Alef One is the first cardinal number after alef null (i.e. the first set that cannot be mapped one-to-one to a set of cardinality alef null).
Click here (http://www.seifried.org/security/articles/2001101 5-elias-levy-interview.html) for more.
Yes, so he can run the business side of ARIS and their other products. They are not "quiting", they are simply not working on the free side of securityfocus anymore (imagine that, a .com company that places a degree of importance on making money).
You've must have been on some alternate reality bugtraq list. During most of the time Chasin managed the list bugtraq was no moderated. He only started it moderating it at the end when things became unbearable.Not to mention that list back then had a handful of subscribers and now has almost fifty thousand.
A countable infinity (e.g. the set of natural numbers) is given the name Aleph Null (or Aleph0).
One reference is at http://mathforum.org/dr.math/problems/simakovsky10 .28.97.html
This does not, of course, get us much closer as it still doesn't explain why Elias should choose to be uncountably infinite although Second Transfinite Cardinal has a kind of a cool pseudo-ecclesiastical ring to it.